Skip to main content
Inside The Huskies

Husky Fan Favorite Joe Jarzynka Dies on Weekend Fishing Trip

The former UW player will be forever remembered as the guy who wouldn't call for a fair catch on a punt.
Dan Raley|
Husky Fan Favorite Joe Jarzynka Dies on Weekend Fishing Trip
Husky Fan Favorite Joe Jarzynka Dies on Weekend Fishing Trip

In this story:

Washington Huskies

Joe Jarzynka, a former University of Washington football player who used his versatility and personality to build a huge fan following, was found dead Sunday on the banks of the Sol Duc River on Sunday while on a fishing trip, authorities said.

Jarzynka, 45, played for the Huskies from 1996 to 1999 as a wide receiver, fullback and special-teams player who not only returned kickoffs and punts but served as the place-kicker for a season.

Fans loved this guy, with his long hair flowing out the back of his helmet, for his fearlessness on the field — he steadfastly refused to call for a fair catch on a punt. Husky followers, in fact, formed a Jarzynka fan club.

On Sunday morning, Clallam County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call after others found Jarzynka, in tan fishing gear, deceased on a riverbank outside of Forks. A mile down river, they located a single-person pontoon boat stuck in a log jam. 

Family members confirmed to authorities that he had come to the area to go fishing and traveled with a boat that matched that description. 

Jarzynka, according to his LinkedIn account, was the CEO for the Steelhead Companies, a Tacoma real-estate investment firm.

Joe Jarzynka was a walk-on who earned a scholarship with his special-teams heroics for the UW.
Joe Jarzynka steadfastly refused to call for a fair catch on a UW punt return / UW

Originally a walk-on from Gig Harbor and appearing in 30 games while starting three, Jarzynka wowed everyone by returning a punt 91 yards against California for a touchdown and converting on a 44-yard field goal against Washington State.

College Football Bracket Challenge

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

As a third-year sophomore, he was awarded a scholarship by Jim Lambright's staff. As a senior in 1998, he earned Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Work honors for piling up 166 punt-return yards against Cal, including his TD runback. That same season, Jarzynka was rewarded with first-team All-Pac-10 honors as an all-purpose player.

He kept people on the edge of their seats with a 50-yard punt return against San Diego State, a 43-yarder against Notre Dame and a 38-yarder against UCLA.

Jarzynka's death at such a young age just won't resonate right away with his legions of Husky fans who saw him as indestructible and so unafraid of everything he did.

Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Inside the Huskies stories — as soon as they’re published.

Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.

Find Inside the Huskies on Facebook by searching: Inside Huskies/FanNation at SI.com or https://www.facebook.com/dan.raley.12

Follow Dan Raley of Inside the Huskies on Twitter: @DanRaley1 or @UWFanNation or @DanRaley3

Have a question, direct message me on Facebook or Twitter.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published
Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Husky Legends